Ossarian Collector's Initiative
The foundation created by Wyn Olaris serves as a conduit for acquiring artifacts of historical or magical significance and safeguarding them when necessary or selling them to museums and other academic institutions for study and exhibition. They are partially funded by the Temple of the Mind, but mostly through the sale of exotic finds. Affiliation The organization is administered by Wyn's daughter, Ayda Olaris. She reviews all day-to-day operations and oversees request for expeditions. While the foundation is independent and holds chapters throughout much of the known world, it maintains a strong relationship with the Ossarian Empire. Notable Expeditions Hidden Temple of Erathis (July, 1257) Encouraged by his parents, this was the first expedition in which Mushkin accompanied Wyn on a dig near the capital of the Western Reach province, Strenmir. Nestled in the Valley of Sorrowsworn and is largely considered to be Wyn’s magnum opus. The find was hugely successful and largely responsible for Mushkin being bitten by the bug of exploration. It greatly influenced his decision to become an archaeologist. The discovery yielded an ancient temple to the god of civilization which had been the earliest discovery yet made that could be linked directly to the Divine Delegates. Inside, several blueprints for mechanical devices were found that revolutionized irrigation in and around Ossaria as well as highly-efficient ways of harnessing wind power. It was after this expedition that Wyn invested in further discoveries by creating the Ossarian Collector’s Initiative. Crypt of Belmyra Eilphine (August, 1261) Now a fully-fledged archaeologist, Mushkin once again accompanied Wyn on this find which was stumbled upon accidentally by a halfling farmer planting his seasonal crop in a newly acquired tract of land in the outskirts of Wildewell, on the border of the Stormshoal Kingdom. The underground structure turned out to be the burial mound of famed bard and flutist, Belmyra Eilphine. She was a legendary spoken-word artist known for her sorrowful and beautiful stories combined with tunes said to elicit strong emotions from her listeners which had the potential to change lives for better or worse. In order to gain access to her sarcophagus and her enchanted flute, a price had to be paid. It was clear that many had attempted to pay this price before as decomposed bodies were found laying near the door to her tomb, all aged and with hair as white as snow. Upon approaching, the door demanded a sorrowful story in exchange for passage. The door warned that an inadequate story would increase the cost of entrance and that the price must be paid in full in order to acquire complete access to the tomb. Mushkin jumped at the chance, but Wyn refused, saying that he had far more currency to exchange should the story be inadequate. Mushkin did not know what he meant. Wyn told his best story but the door was not satisfied and aged Wyn roughly 50 years before unlocking and granting entrance to the tomb. The experience left a lasting impression on Mushkin who began to see the potential danger of his career. Belmyra’s sarcophagus along with the door itself went on a very successful tour of exhibition for 15 years. The flute itself sold at auction for 1.3 million gold to a wealthy dwarf, patron and private collector of the OCI named Snabrog Coinfoot. The Stone Army of Dhatabash (January, 1263) A poacher in a remote forest of the Wassilie Watchlands came across an entire army of warrior statues all arranged in formation set before an overgrown keep. The statues were highly detailed and in varying states of degradation. This time, Wyn brought along Mushkin as well as his daughter Ayda to investigate the find. It was ultimately determined after weeks of study that the army had originally been real but had been turned to stone all at once centuries ago by an unknown source, presumably a defensive technique employed by the now defunct keep at the head of the army. The army’s leader was identified circumstantially as the Rakshasa Dhatabash, who had also been turned to stone with his army and was still in pristine condition. He was regarded in old bardic songs for trying to take over a small kingdom of forest dwellers that had slighted him for some reason that had been lost to time. Several of the statues along with Dhatabash himself went on exhibition for about 7 years before being sealed away by the OCI. Cave of the Foul Sisters (March, 1268) A group of spelunkers came across a small but eerie settlement inside of a cave not far from Arillora, the capital of the Athearan Empire in Ossaria. Wyn, Mushkin and a small mercenary group investigated the find. They found hovels made from human skin, still-corked bottles containing strange and unusual preserved things. The location was determined to be a long abandoned coven previously occupied by 3 night hags who called themselves the Sisterhood of the Shadowmoon. They worshipped the dead god Khala and through untold evil rituals attempted to revive her and exact revenge on the Raven Queen. A mass grave containing the bones of many children was found near their primary encampment underground. This contributed to the moniker, Cave of the Foul Sisters. Several traps befell the mercenaries scouting out the area to ensure its safety. Three of the men were killed by poison dart traps, still viable after centuries, preserved by the arid cave. Among the finds were two magical staves imbued with necrotic energy as well as a sphere that speaks only insults to the person nearest it. One of the staves was considered too dangerous for exhibition and was sequestered by the OCI. The other went on tour with the talking sphere which reached great acclaim as a sideshow exhibit on witches and hags. Both were later purchased by Snabrog Coinfoot at auction. Snabrog loves to bring out the orb at parties. Pillar of Questions (December, 1269) A large obelisk was discovered in the frozen tundra of northern Ashmosawa Isle with only about a quarter of it visible and covered in snow and ice. OCI was dispatched to investigate and discovered that the base of the pillar extended down into the ice about 40 feet. It took over two months to excavate the entire pillar which was revealed to be made entirely of obsidian and written in a text that slowly shifts its form. Despite numerous experts being called to the site including Wyn and Mushkin, none of the script could be identified as a known language and translating it was made particularly difficult given that it never remained the same for more than an hour. This gave the artifact its name, the Pillar of Questions as all it seemed to do was create more questions. The pillar was too heavy to exhume and transport anywhere for proper study so a permanent encampment was set up around it for protection which now has grown to a sizable bivouac referred to as the hopefully named, Camp of Answers, the location of which is guarded by all academic institutions who actively study it. To this day it remains one of the few unsolved mysteries of Ossaria. Hidden Chamber of the Midnight Redoubt (September, 1272) The first find credited directly to Mushkin himself, he decided to launch a new investigation into the razed fortress of the vampiress Lady Tereza Simone Ursulette. The undead heiress had been turned at some point in her adolescence and never grew past the visage of a 16 year old girl. She claimed her family’s land and wealth and began a despotic rule of the region near Aschenguard Vale, formally of the Drantii Kingdom and present day Western Reach. Lady Ursulette ruled for two centuries before succumbing to the anger of the nearby settlements she lorded over. The villagers banded together and hired a guild of monster/vampire hunters willing to exterminate her. The fight was a brutal one and in the end claimed her sanctum, the Midnight Redoubt, as it was burned to the ground to ensure she would never return. Mushkin had read accounts of the assault and a catalogue of things found and taken from within that survived the carnage, but he always though the burnt out fortress held more secrets. After spending close to a month investigating the location, he stumbled upon a secret doorway that responded to fresh blood. Inside, many artifacts were found that had survived, including the coffin belonging to the Debutante of Midnight herself. A black necklace with an evil aura was sequestered by the OCI along with several strange potions and an undead cat that had been living in the secret chamber for quite some time. The cat and coffin made for a very popular and lucrative exhibition that still tours to this day. Court of the Winter Eladrin (April, 1274) A halfling woman named Fionula Copperkettle came to the attention of the OCI for her impressive cartography skills. She agreed to join the organization as a consultant in exchange for resources in gathering an expedition to a location she had recently mapped out. This map would lead to the Court of the Winter Eladrin. Her map helped lead Wyn and Mushkin through a dense jungle with previously undiscovered and very strange flora. At the end, an almost perfectly formed courtyard made of bluish stone was found. The courtyard looked as if it had been sheared completely off some sort of superstructure and planted deep in the forest. The origin of the courtyard seemed to indicate that it had come from the Feywild as it was covered in Eladrin filigree and very elaborate motifs donned the archways and pillars of the structure which had no roof. A handful of texts were found written in Elvish which documented a variety of subjects including ancestral trees, ledgers, stories, jokes and pornographic content. The texts exhibited for a short period of time before being acquired by Snabrog Coinfoot at auction. All but one of the texts (the pornographic one) would later go inexplicably missing. Years later after getting over the loss, Snabrog would later joke that at least the thieves had left him the most intriguing one. The Gossamer Pool (July, 1277) Tales of a strange pond in the wastelands of the Western Reach eventually came to the attention of the OCI. With the help of some first-hand accounts, Fionula was able to construct a map leading to the specific area in the wastes which the anomaly resided. The map led to a swampy region of the wastes that was difficult to reach and the expedition lost several mules and wagons full of gear until they finally reached the now dubbed Gossamer Pool. The small pond, instead of consisting of water, seemed to be filled with an ethereal silver substance that perfectly mirrored the light from above. Attempts were made to measure the depth of the pool but every attempt failed as the weights and ropes used to do so never seemed to reach the bottom. Late one night, one of the members of the expedition, a tabaxi work hand by the name of Fine Wine decided to approach the pool. He exclaimed something unintelligible and walked into it, slipping beneath the surface never to be heard from again. It was thought at the time that he was drunk, but soon other members of the camp began exhibiting strange behaviors. Swamp gases were blamed and the expedition was abandoned on the orders of Wyn for the safety of the remaining group. The location of the pool is still kept as a close secret by OCI. Ghost Wagon of Elician Springs (February, 1279) In the winter of 1279, reports came out about a carriage, drawn by ghostly horses and lacking a driver, which would wind up and down the Heremagne Road frightening evening travelers. Any attempts to interact with the wagon would result in the victim’s memory being wiped for seemingly random intervals of time ranging from the past few weeks to a few decades. OCI was called to investigate and spent a few weeks camped in a hidden area off the main road. One night during a full moon they witnessed the carriage careening down the road at a high rate of speed, the spectral horses gave out an eerie whinny as the loud sound of a riding crop could be heard beating against them. After a brief investigation, it was found that a nearby livery had been the victim of arson, trapping several of the horses inside, killing them along with the owner. Wyn decided that the best idea was to try and exorcise the carriage somehow. He set up a circle of remove curse along the same section of road the following full moon. As the carriage passed over the enchanted section of road, the carriage dissipated into the ethereal plane. In its place, the carriage left a patch of burning brush and a golden riding crop which was later discovered to have once belonged to the deceased livery owner who was known for placing fortuitous bets on horse races. He had been lending the enchanted riding crop to jockeys which he placed bets upon. The crop could grant the horses a temporary boost to their stamina, but would shorten their lifespan considerably. It would seem that someone was unhappy with his methods and put an end to him and his livery. The Professor Orb of the Royal Family (October, 1283) An unusual voice had been reported by some castle guards coming from the Vault of Artifacts stored by the royal family of Athearia. Wyn and Mushkin were called in as a favor to the emperor to investigate. As it turned out, one of the artifacts, a small sphere of gray quartz had “woken up”. It identified itself in a friendly manner as a human man named Professor Vatavavan. The orb claimed he had been imprisoned ages ago and was slumbering peacefully until a few weeks ago when it started calling out from the vault. After a length of conversation, the orb impressed Wyn as he was quite studious and was knowledge across a wide-range of topics. Wyn asked the emperor if the royal family would be willing to lend the orb to OCI for further study. The emperor granted the request with the condition that the orb be returned to the royal family upon the death of Wyn Olaris. He agreed. OCI has since used the artifact as a font of information, granting members of the organization supervised time slots in which to converse with Professor Vatavavan. The orb has always made Ayda very uncomfortable and will not relent on the rule of supervision.